


Convergent Evolution

by irrationalno



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Ulaz (Voltron) Lives, nice, wow that tag existed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 11:22:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16660189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irrationalno/pseuds/irrationalno
Summary: Shiro has some new questions





	Convergent Evolution

Shiro found him on the observation deck, bundled up in the biggest, fluffiest-looking black coat he’d seen in his life.

‘Kolivan left,’ he said conversationally, walking up to him. The other man gave almost nothing away. Almost. That was definitely a twitching ear, there.

‘No doubt because there was nothing left to say,’ said Ulaz, voice tight. But when he turned to Shiro, the line of his mouth was soft, curving upwards.

‘He didn’t mind me poaching you for my crew, at least,’ Shiro said anyway. Then he sobered. ‘That is, _if_ you want—’

One slender, claw-tipped finger pressed lightly against his lips. ‘I want,’ said Ulaz, and the simple affirmation was so heavily loaded it left Shiro speechless for a long enough moment.

‘Good,’ he said, sometime after Ulaz dropped his hand. ‘We could definitely use another doctor.’

He’d found that out from Krolia, almost by accident. That Ulaz had been a real doctor. It’d been back when his memories of Ulaz were still safely locked away in a box labelled _don’t_ _open_. Had kept her up after hours on the return trip after a mission, after that, fascinated by what she’d had to say about Galra universities and medical school. And the shock when it turned out she’d gone to school with him once...

Bratty Northerner punk, she’d called him, _fondly_ , and they’d spent another half-hour working out the fact that there was such a thing as Northerner vs Southerner rivalry among the Galra and that they had a concept translateable as ‘punk’. (Krolia had looked him in the eye and said, ‘Shiro. You’ve seen enough of us by now.’)

He was unconsciously grinning, remembering some of the anecdotes she’d shared, when Ulaz touched him again. Stroked the long tuft of Shiro’s hair a little back against his forehead. His hand was cool and so, so gentle.

It occurred to Shiro that Ulaz, too, might not have fully processed the fact that he was alive and here and _now_.

Ulaz would not accept it yet, but there could have been only two reasons for Kolivan to undertake that particular quest. It wasn’t just his growing friendship with Shiro. And for that, Shiro was thankful.

‘I looked for you, you know,’ said Shiro. Ulaz was petting Shiro’s hair. Somehow they’d gotten much closer, so that Shiro could feel the texture of his coat. It was unexpectedly, incredibly soft.

‘Oh, Shiro,’ said Ulaz, and Shiro knew he didn’t have to get the rest of the words out. The knowledge of his time—and travels—on the astral plane had started to trickle back to him in dreams. Another challenge for his patience after the momentous consequences of his year in captivity.

Shiro leaned sideways and upwards until he could kind of tuck his face against one of the lapels of the coat. It smelled good. Ulaz smelled good. Ulaz’s hand had slid down to scritch lightly at the nape of his neck. Shiro raised his head and Ulaz paused his movements.

‘Is this organic? The material,’ he said, tugging at one end of the fabric. ‘What do you even call it?’

Ulaz said something the translators reproduced as _cashmere_.

Shiro frowned. ‘Does this come from an animal?’

‘Yes, a species of mountainous goat,’ said Ulaz.

Shiro stared at him for a second. Then he was laughing, pushing his face back into the coat. Ulaz made a strange little sound and this time gathered him in properly, hugging him to his chest.

Shiro was wondering if it was expensive, how he'd got it, and if the Galra had once held goat-shearing competitions on their far-flung, wind-swept Northern moons. And then he wasn’t really wondering about any of that stuff.

He pushed Ulaz back until they stood at arms’ length again. Ulaz was pliable and somewhat reluctant to put this tiny distance between them. Ulaz also had no pupils, but guessing where his gaze was focused wasn't rocket science.

Although, if it had been... well, good thing Shiro’d minored in rocket science, then.

‘You really like my coat,’ said Ulaz, sounding oddly shy, and he still wore his hair like that, and he reached out to touch Shiro’s lips again, this time with the edge of his thumb. Blinked when the skin of his thumb brushed the tip of Shiro’s tongue.

An accident.

‘I really like your coat,’ said Shiro. ‘And if you keep looking at me like that, we won’t make it to a bed.’

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> drabble meme request fill for @the-exo-nerd on tumblr. this got a little long but i don't think you'll mind!


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